Elizabeth Siddal still continues to inspire. Dawn Marie Kresan explores multiple aspects of Siddal’s life and legacy in a newly-published poetry collection, Muse. I was unprepared for the depth of emotion Kresan’s work creates. Her expertly crafted poems touch upon Lizzie’s discovery and role as muse to the Pre-Raphaelites. Several poems include moments of Lizzie’s … Read more
It is difficult for me to choose a painting to vote for. I have so many favorites and occasionally I find myself developing a new appreciation for a work that I wasn’t particularly fond of before. This year, I think I will vote for Elizabeth Siddal’s self portrait. It’s simple yet bold, resisting all attempts … Read more
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, photographed by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). Taken in 1863, the year after the death of Rossetti’s wife Lizzie.
One of my favorite details in Rossetti’s Proserpine is that her lips are painted almost the exact shade of the pomegranate. Those luscious, cupid’s bow lips and the elongated neck are indicative of Rossetti’s later style. It was a time in his life when he was plagued with mental health troubles and personal drama, yet … Read more
You may remember Dutch artist Margje Bijl from my previous blog posts about her project “Reflections on Jane Morris”. If you’re not familiar with her yet, let me introduce you to her. I believe she has an uncanny resemblance with Jane Morris, the Pre-Raphaelite muse who lived from 1839 till 1914. As I described in … Read more
Once again, that cheeky wombat makes his appearance. Here he is with Lizzie Siddal. Are you missing out on the wombat fun? If you’re a Twitter user, just search the hashtag #wombatfriday. Or take a look at my feed. I retweet as many Friday wombats as I can. My Twitter name is beguilingmerlin, after the … Read more
Often I find that I prefer an artist’s studies to the completed work. Perhaps it is that they are raw beginnings, a hint of what is to come. Although usually I feel that a certain emotional quality is captured in the face of the model and somehow lost in translation when recreated in oils. Head … Read more
About a year ago, I was lucky enough to acquire a two volume set of The Life and Letters of Sir John Everett Millais, written by his son in 1898. It’s a beautiful set that I’ve longed to own, but was unable to give it the attention it deserves as my husband was still recuperating … Read more
A few weeks ago, on a whim, I celebrated the fact that it was Friday by posting a photo of a wombat. Then the lovely Madeleine Pearce (@nouveaudigital) tweeted the hashtag #wombatfriday, probably not realizing that she is only encouraging my childish antics and now I can not stop. This week, the wombat brushes up … Read more
Rachel A. Davis shared her visit to the Walker Art Gallery here. To share your museum visits and/or links to related blog posts, please post a comment. To share a photo, please email stephaniepina (at) lizziesiddal.com or upload the image directly to the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood facebook page
William Holman Hunt painted The Light of The World in 1853, not too long after the founding of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848. He used model Elizabeth Siddal to paint Christ’s hair; Christina Rossetti was the model for the head. It was at this point that we see that Siddal was no ordinary model, for … Read more
Women’s Hour visits the Pre-Raphaelite exhibit at the Tate to discuss the female Pre-Raphaelite artists. I am pleased with the the attention paid to Elizabeth Siddal. In particular, her illustration of The Lady of Shalott is given a nice bit of attention. They also talk about Rosa Brett, Jane Burden Morris and May Morris. You can … Read more
Ah, another book to add to my ever-growing wish list. I discovered this soon-to-be-published book via Artmagick’s facebook page and I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw that it was edited by Elizabeth Prettejohn. It is available for pre-order, but I do not know if it will be available for purchase in the … Read more
With the release of Stunner, Fanny Cornforth is happily on my mind. I thought I’d share one of my favorite paintings of Fanny: Fair Rosamund by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. This is not the first time I have shared this image here, you can also see Rossetti’s study for Fair Rosamund in this post from June … Read more
Fiona MacCarthy’s book The Last Pre-Raphaelite: Edward Burne-Jones and the Victorian Imagination has been shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prizes, the only major British book awards judged by scholars and students of Literature.
Originally published fifteen years ago, Yale University Press has released a revised edition of Reading the Pre-Raphaelites by Tim Barringer. It is an excellent book for any Pre-Raphaelite enthusiast to have, one I hazard that you will revisit repeatedly. This edition contains a new section on photography, which is fitting since Tim Barringer is also a co-author … Read more
Kris Lundberg of the Shakespeare’s Sister Company has just blown me away. I literally have lovely, grateful tears in my eyes as I write this. She has created a wonderful video in which she introduces the world to the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood T Shirt and to the legacy of Elizabeth Siddal. Thank you so much, Kris! This … Read more
I am thrilled to announce that Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood T Shirts are now available for purchase. Please visit the T-Shirt page to order. Shirts are priced at $20, plus shipping charges. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It’s fun and if you purchase one, I hope you’ll email me a picture … Read more
In two previous posts, I talked about the marriages of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Ruskin. Here’s a photograph of both men, courtesy of George P. Landow and the Victorian web. Ruskin looks absolutely frightening with that stick! June 29, 1863 Albumen Print Downey made made this double portrait during the same session at Rossetti’s … Read more
John Ruskin was an an author, art critic, and social reformer who was an early champion of Pre-Raphaelite ideals. Interestingly, he was also the patron who supported the work of Elizabeth Siddal. His marriage to Euphemia Chalmers Gray, known as Effie, is universally described as a disaster. The story goes that Ruskin rejected Effie on their … Read more
Before Christmas, Kirsty Stonell Walker sent me her revised manuscript of Stunner to read. People, it is awesome. I’m not sure when the projected release date will be, but as soon as it is out I urge all Pre-Raphaelite enthusiasts to snap up a copy. Stunner is the first full-length biography of Pre-Raphaelite artist’s model … Read more
Thank you to Prabal K. Ray for letting me know that an adaptation of A.S. Byatt’s book Possession is currently on BBC Radio 4. Those of us outside the UK are able to listen to it as well. There are 7 days left to listen to episode 1. Possession is one of my favorite and … Read more
There are several things I’d like to share with you today: I’ve been reading some of Rossetti’s notes in The Collected Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and I like this insight on his opinion of color: Thinking in what order I love colours, found the following:– 1. Pure light warm green. 2. Deep gold-colour. 3. … Read more
One face looks out from all his canvasses, One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans; We found her hidden just behind those screens, That mirror gave back all her loveliness. A queen in opal or in ruby dress, A nameless girl in freshest summer greens, A saint, an angel; – every canvass means The … Read more